Psalm 123

 123 (Biblical text in italics)

1 To You I lift up my eyes,  The Psalmist lifts his eyes to the Lord rather than seeing the tempest (Matthew 14:28-31).  This is where we need to look when we are distressed.
The One enthroned in the heavens!  He is Lord and King.

2 Behold, as the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a servant-girl to the hand of her mistress,  We are His slaves - doulos - because He has saved us.  We are utterly dependent on Him.  Many New Testament Scriptures help us to understand the word “doulos,” a Greek word that can be translated “bondservant” or “slave.”  In Luke 1:38 and 48, we learn that this word expresses humility and utter submission.  In Romans 1:1 and Galatians 1:10, we see that this word indicates someone who is totally at the disposal of a master.  In Philippians 2:1-11, we see Christ’s example of living out the meaning of this word.  This passage shows us Christ’s humility and the choice that He makes to be obedient without complaining or fear.  In Matthew 20:28, we learn that being a bondservant includes being willing to give our lives - not just by death, but by living each moment for Him.  In John 13:4, 13-15 and 2 Corinthians 8:9, we see Christ’s example of selfless service and help to others.  All of these passages (and more - this is not an exhaustive list of the use of the word doulos in the New Testament) work together to give us a rich understanding of what it truly means to be a doulos of the Lord.
So our eyes look to Yahweh our God,
Until He is gracious to us.  Note that this is the main theme of the Psalm - His grace.  Salvation is by His grace.


3 Be gracious to us, O Yahweh, be gracious to us,  Again, the main theme is repeated (these phrases are sometimes translated “Have mercy on us”, but the idea is generally the same).
For we are greatly saturated with contempt.  (ESV-“for we have had more than enough of contempt”) 

4 Our soul is greatly saturated
With the mockery of those who are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud.  The contempt of those who are not His is overwhelming at times.  They mock us and call us naive.  We feel saturated by this and can only cry out for God’s grace.  I experience this at times when others choose to simply ignore me and treat me like I am unworthy of them listening to anything I have to say.  They act like I am stupid or “simple” and can’t possibly understand all that they understand.  It is frustrating.  I need to remember to go to the Lord first rather than voice my frustrations.  We can never expect lost people to understand God’s ways.  We, as saved people, don’t even really understand and we have the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  Turning to the Lord in prayer and asking Him to pour out His grace to us and to them is the best way to go.

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